More than two dozen U.S. Senate Democrats and Republicans introduced a bipartisan Senate bill (when was the last time we heard that phrase?) that would impose new sanctions on Iran if it violates last month's agreement. Obama's response? A veto threat. To the President, Congress is more of a threat than Iran.

Robert Serry, the UN's Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the UN Security Council. He repeated the UN threat against Israel, calling the year 2014 the "moment of truth" for the Middle East peace process. Among other things, he warned Israel not to respond to the recent killing of one of its soldiers by a member of the Lebanese army. At the UN, Israeli self-defense is only a theory.

UN asks for a record $6.5B to help the 16 million Syrians it says are affected by Assad's bloodbath - the cost of continuing the war while the world stands by. Where's John Kerry after all? Pounding Israel.

"A political and human rights activist in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to 300 lashes and four years in prison for defying the king and calling for democracy, a rights group said Sunday. Omar al-Saeed, a member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), was sentenced in the city of Buraidah on Dec. 12 and is the fourth of his group to be imprisoned this year. Adam Coogle, Middle East researcher for advocacy group Human Rights Watch, told NBC News that since Saudi Arabia has no formal penal code, the charges against al-Saeed and the other group members are arbitrary."